The Heart Pounding Family Life Of Mutual Love and Care!
by Natsumiya Teirin
Summary: When his husband's cousin is tragically murdered, Hinata Hajime takes it upon himself to take the orphaned children in. Komaru just wants to protect her little brother, but Makoto's scars run deep- from a previous life, in fact. Reincarnation AU, Older Komaru, Younger Makoto, pre-established HinaKoma. Lots of age-modifying. Past Inherit-Ship (NaeGami) and Rescue-Ship (FuKomaru).
1. Chapter 1

_**夢と始まるわ。。。**_

 _ **It Starts With a Dream...**_

＊＊＊＊＊

 _"Aand...Peek-a-boo!"_

 _The sky that day was clear and sunny. Like every day up to that point, I was with my papa while Komaru-nee-chan was at school._

 _Papa used his hands to make my own hands cover my eyes. I haven't figured out how to actually do it myself yet, let alone keep them there._

 _"Huh? Oh no, where's Makoto?" He gasped, but his voice was playful and light._

 _"There he-"_

 _There was a loud bang just as papa removed his hands. And then papa was falling sideways, and there was blood coming out of his head. I screamed and cried. What was happening? Why was papa sleeping all of a sudden? He'd never just fallen asleep while playing with me!_

 _I don't know how long I was crying, but suddenly, warm arms were holding me. They felt like papa's, and the voice coming with them made me feel safe._

 _I fell asleep._

＊＊＊＊＊

It was around nine forty in the morning when officer Hinata Hajime got the call.

A concerned neighbor had heard screaming coming from the Naegi house- which wouldn't have been so unusual considering they had an infant son, except for the fact that it'd been going on for about twenty five minutes, and ordinarily it would stop after five, at most.

With a shrug, Hajime passed the phone to his coworker Nanami and prepared to leave for the Naegi residence. While Hajime wasn't experienced enough to send out anyone, the chief of his branch, a strict and even-tempered woman by the name of Ikusaba Mukuro, had already said he could go solo on smaller or personal cases: the latter of which he felt applied here. His husband's family had been very close to the Naegis.

"Tell Ikusaba-san I'm taking the Naegi case," he politely requested of Nanami as he turned the doorknob.

"Hai," she said, putting her hand over the receiver before removing it and returning to talking to the caller.

Hajime left then, his steps brisk.

＊＊＊＊＊

The Naegi home was a small one, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. There was a small garage attached, and a washer and dryer for laundry inside that, but that wasn't his concern. The walls were thin, and even with the front door closed, he could hear the wailing of a baby boy.

It was exactly nine fifty six a.m.

Hajime followed the sound of crying until he came to one of the bedrooms. There was a large bed, and beside that, a sturdy crib.

The baby- Makoto, according to Nagito- was on the bed, kicking and screaming. He was red in the face and his eyes were shut tight, and he was covered in snot and...blood?

Hajime went around and got a closer look, and saw the body of a man, crumpled to the floor. There was a hole in the side of his head, but no gun in sight. A murder.

And by the looks of things, the son had seen the whole thing.

The boy stilled as Hajime turned and picked him up. Pale green eyes peered up at him, and Hajime was reminded of Nagito.

Without even realizing it, Hajime began rubbing Makoto's back, only stopping when he felt the weight of his head against his shoulder and realized he was asleep.

It was strange just how comfortable this felt- how _right_ this felt- but there wasn't time to dwell on it yet. For now...for now...what would be the best course of action?

He could wait for the other residents to come home. But he wasn't sure when that would be, and he didn't trust himself to be able to handle a baby all on his own.

What to do...

Well, what would Nagito do?

Wait.

Nagito said his family was close to the Naegis. Maybe he'd be able to help, then?

He was technically on the clock, but...Ikusaba would let this slide. She often did, for children.

Adjusting his hold on baby Makoto, Hajime sat on the bed and pulled out his phone. He had his husband on speed dial.

"Moshi-Moshi! Hinata residence!"

"Nagito."

"Ah! Hajime! What's wrong? Aren't you working?"

"Yes, I am, but this is important. Nagi, how soon can you get to the Naegi house?"

"Mmm...fifteen minutes, at most. Why?"

Hajime debated on how much he should tell him.

"There's been...an incident, and for now, I need your help to deal with the son- at least until the mother comes home."

There was a moment of silence as Nagito processed his words.

"...I'll be there soon," he eventually said.

Hajime nodded before realizing Nagito wouldn't see it.

"Okay. Be safe."

"You know I will. I love you, Haji."

"Yeah. I love you too, Nagi."

He hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Makoto stirred as the movement forced him to tighten his grip on the kid just a little. But he didn't wake up.

It wasn't long before Hajime heard a car pull up into the driveway- hardly more than five minutes.

"Hajime? Where are you?"

Damn it- he'd forgotten to shut the front door.

"In here Nagito," he stated, exiting the bedroom while still carrying Makoto. The boy was just waking up now, green eyes still half-closed. He yawned, revealing tiny teeth with a few gaps in between them.

Nagito caught sight of him and opened his mouth to speak, but Hajime put up a hand to silence him.

"A concerned neighbor heard crying going on for longer than it should've, and requested us to check it out. Given the location and the fact that it seemed like a minor thing, I went here by myself to check it out," he started to explain, taking a seat on the couch and gesturing for Nagito to sit beside him.

The pale man sat to his left, so Makoto was closer to him.

"So then, was this place...?"

"It was like this when I got here. This little guy was on the bed in the master bedroom, and his father's corpse was on the floor beside him. Shot in the head, apparently."

"Oh no..."

In a soothing gesture, Nagito idly began combing his fingers through Makoto's thin, soft brown hair.

"Poor thing...but what about his sister?"

"His sister?"

"Mm. He has an older sister named Komaru. She's probably still at school now, but she knows who I am and recognizes me, if you want me to pick her up...?"

Hajime smiled gratefully, and that was all Nagito needed.

"I'll be back soon."

"Yeah. Be safe."

"I will."

＊＊＊＊＊

When Komaru was called to the front office of Towa elementary school, she wasn't expecting to see her father's cousin there, and she certainly wasn't expecting him to say that she needed to come home.

He opened the door to the back seat and made sure she was safely strapped in before he closed it and buckled himself in. He started driving, and once they were a few minutes away from the school, she dared to ask him what was going on.

"I don't know the full story, Komaru-chan," he began, " but...there was an incident today, regarding your father."

"Father? Is- is he okay?" A sense of dread pooled in her stomach, " What about Makoto? He's okay, right?"

"Mako-chan is fine, but..." he shook his head.

"I think it'd be best if Hajime told you."

"Hajime-kun? But Nagito-kun, why are we going to see him?"

Wasn't he a police officer? That bad feeling was getting worse.

Nagito stopped the car in front of her house and shut it off. Komaru exited the vehicle and dashed inside while Nagito followed at a slower pace.

In the living room, Makoto was in the lap of a man she didn't recognize, a man with cool eyes and somewhat messy dark hair. She assumed this was "Hajime".

"We're back," Nagito announced.

Makoto's head swiveled towards the sound of his voice, only for his eyes to land on Komaru.

"Oma-nee!" He climbed out of Hajime's lap and down off the couch then began toddling towards her. His onesie- black on the left and white on the right, with a red bear on the stomach- had light splatters of blood on it that'd dried out a while ago.

She picked him up and cradled him in her arms.

"Sir...what...what happened?"

Hajime wracked his brain for the best way to explain the situation. If Komaru had been an adult, he'd have been blunt, but she was only in her second year of primary school, and he didn't want to be too blunt with a grade school student.

But it didn't look like he'd have to.

Makoto tugged on a lock of Komaru's dark brown hair.

"Oma-nee...Oma-nee, papa nap. Papa nap- bang!" His words were easy to understand, and his voice was scared- so very, very scared, and Komaru didn't want to hear that. She wanted to erase her precious little brother's fears, wanted to believe he was lying, but he was Makoto, and Makoto didn't even get the concept of joking, let alone lying. So she forced herself to face the uniformed officer on the couch, who was staring at them with a somber face.

"...Papa's dead."

"...Yes. I'm afraid he is. I called the coroner before you got back and," he addressed Nagito now, "Ikusaba-san has given us permission to let these two stay with us, at least until the will of Naegi-san is read, or until they are entered into the foster system- whichever comes first. She said it's because your families are technically related, but not quite close enough for you to gain automatic guardianship without it being stated in the will of the deceased." His voice was grim and serious, as per the circumstances.

Nagito tried to lighten up the situation.

"Well...just think of it this way, Komaru-chan: you get to stay with your favorite cousin once removed!"

Hajime gave him a blank look, as if to say, "Really?", but Komaru appreciated the attempt.

"Yeah...I guess..."

But her mind was still trying to process things. She wanted to believe it was just some sick, twisted joke, but she knew already that it wasn't. Hajime sighed and stood up, his knees popping with a crack.

"Well, let's go then."

He grabbed a carrier that'd been beside him- he must've gotten it from the family car after calling "Ikusaba-san", Komaru assumed- and gestured for Komaru and Nagito to follow him. He got the carrier strapped into the back seat of Nagito's car and then stepped aside so Komaru could buckle her baby brother in. Once that was done, she sat down beside him and buckled herself in.

Hajime hopped into the driver's seat, leaving Nagito to take the passenger's seat, and drove off- fortunately, much less reckless than Nagito had been.

And that was the start of their new lives.


	2. Chapter 2

_**悪夢で終わります**_

 _ **And Ends With a Nightmare.**_

＊＊＊＊＊

Only a few days following the murder of the Naegi patriarch, Nagito was called to attend the reading of his will.

 _ **Last Will and Testament of**_

 _ **Naegi Takashi**_

 _ **KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS:**_

 _ **That, I, Naegi Takshi, of Towa City, , Country of**_

 _ **Japan, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, and not acting under duress, menace, fraud or the undue influence of any person whomsoever, do make, publish and declare this my Last Will and Testament.**_

 _ **Article I**_

 _ **I hereby declare that my family consists of:**_

 _ **Naegi Aiko (neè Fujimori)**_

 _ **Naegi Komaru**_

 _ **Naegi Makoto**_

 _ **Hinata Nagito (neè Komaeda)**_

 _ **Hinata Hajime**_

 _ **Komaeda Ishizu (neè Naegi)**_

 _ **Naegi Aoi**_

 _ **Naegi Yuujirou**_

 _ **Naegi Samekichi**_

 _ **Article II.**_

 _ **I hereby direct and order that all just debts for which proper claims are filed against my estate, and the expenses of my last illness and funeral, be paid by my executor as soon after my death is practicable, provided, however, that this direction shall not authorize any creditors to require payment of any debt or obligation prior to its normal maturity in due course.**_

 _ **Article III.**_

 _ **I direct that all estate expenses, inheritance, and other taxes and interest or penalties thereon imposed by reason of my death, whether or not attributable to property passing under this Will and whether or not the same would otherwise be payable by my estate or by a recipient of any such property, to be paid and discharged by my personal representative out of the residue of my estate with no right of reimbursement for the Recipients named in the residuary clause of the Will.**_

 _ **Article IV.**_

 _ **I give, devise and bequeath unto:**_

 _ **Hinata Nagito (neè Komaeda)**_ _ **: Vault 657 of Towa Local Bank, thirty per cent (30%) stock and shares in Teru-Teller's Sweets, one (1) house on Sakura-Oka Street**_

 _ **Article V.**_

 _ **I hereby nominate and appoint Kirigiri Jin, executor of this my Last Will and Testament, to act without bond. In the event that the aforementioned executor is for any reason unable or unwilling to act as executor hereof, I nominate and appoint Ikusaba Mukuro to act as executor, also without bond.**_

 _ **If it be necessary to appoint a guardian for my children upon my death, I appoint Hinata Nagito (neè Komaeda), and if he/she is unable or unwilling to act, I appoint Kirigiri Jin as an alternate guardian.**_

 _ **Article VI.**_

 _ **I further direct that my estate be settled without the intervention of any court, except to the extent required by law, and that my executor settle my estate in such a manner as shall seem best and most conveniently to him/her, and I hereby empower my executor to mortgage, lease, sell, exchange and convey the personal and real property of my estate without an order of court for that purpose and without notice, approval or confirmation and in all other respects to administer and settle my estate without the intervention of the court.**_

 _ **Article VII.**_

 _ **Should any of the bequests, gifts or devises in Article IV fail due to circumstances that cannot be reconciled with the terms herein or my express wishes, I give, devise and bequeath such, in the alternative, to my residuary estate.**_

 _ **I give my residuary estate to:**_

 _ **Hinata Hajime**_

 _ **Article VIII.**_

 _ **I hereby revoke any and all former Wills and Codicils thereto made by me and declare this my Last Will**_

 _ **and Testament. In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of**_

 _ **August, 20XX.**_

＊＊＊＊＊

By the time he came out of the lawyer's office, Nagito was exhausted. He could just barely wrap his head around the fact that his cousin had left just about all his property to him, and, not to mention, his _children_.

Speaking of said children, Makoto had woken all of them up every night so far with a nightmare- not that he could blame him. It'd be a traumatic thing for anyone, to witness the murder of their only parent, so for a baby boy just a few months away from his second birthday, it would be especially so.

Except he dreamed about more than that. According to Komaru, who'd tried to calm him every night before he and Hajime could be woken up, Makoto had nightmares frequently of a black and white teddy bear, and lots of people who, in these dreams, would suddenly 'turn red and take a nap'.

Nagito found them unsettling, for obvious reasons, but he was sure that was _nothing_ compared to how his little cousin (once removed) felt actually seeing them. And Hajime...well, he was busy looking into the murder, trying to investigate with the help of their colleague and friend, Munakata Kyosuke

Which reminded him, he'd be returning to work soon, as well. He'd been given the last few days off to mourn, and before that he was on sick leave for a minor illness (which had conveniently cleared up just before Hajime called him that fateful day).

He worked as a teacher at Kibougamine Gakuen and took pride in it, having been a former student himself (and the Ultimate _Lucky Student_ , at that!), and now that he had two children to look after, he found himself hoping they'd be able to attend his classes one day. But even with his employment there and his uncanny luck, such a thing would never be guaranteed. What a shame.

He unlocked the door and stepped into his home. It was a nice two-story house with three bedrooms (one of them was a master bedroom), two and a half bathrooms, a living room, dining room, office, and even a room specifically for the washer and dryer, so their laundry didn't take up any excess space. There were two storage closets, each with their own trap doors and ladders. The one on the ground floor led into the basement, where there was a recreational room, and the one up on the second floo1q1 led to the attic where they kept all the old things that still had sentimental value.

In the living room, Komaru was playing Peek-A-Boo with Makoto-

"No! No Pee-a-Boo!"

-or, trying to anyway.

Komaru sighed in exasperation and threw her hands up in the air.

"Mou! Makoto, what is it? You used to _love_ Peek-A-Boo!"

"Papa Pee-a-boo..." Makoto said softly.

"Ohh..." said Komaru, just as softly, her voice sad.

Nagito took this as his cue to lighten the mood.

"I'm home!" He announced, his voice light as he considered the impending news.

"You two didn't set anything on fire, did you?"

Komaru shook her head. "Nooo."

Nagito smiled, satisfied, and sat down cross-legged beside her. Makoto crawled into his lap and began playing with his hair. Nagito let him, not minding at all.

"Thank you for helping with him, Komaru-chan. Now, I have some good news for both of you- and I'll tell Haji when he gets home, too."

"Good news?" Komaru looked up at him curiously as he nodded.

"Mm. Starting today, I and Hajime get to take care of you and Makoto-kun, and raise you as if we were your actual parents."

Komaru smiled faintly. This _was_ good news. She and Makoto wouldn't be separated, and they wouldn't be staying with total strangers.

"That's good," she said eventually.

Nagito nodded and put his hands on Makoto's shoulders, pushing him to sit down in his lap.

"I've also looked into it and have found that your school is close by, so you wouldn't have to change schools. But if you _want_ to, there's another school, close to the one I work at."

Unbidden, Komaru recalled a day when her father picked her up from school. She shook her head to clear it and blinked away tears that threatened to spill forth.

"No...I...I want to switch schools, please."

Nagito nodded his head.

""Okay then. But just to make sure you really want this, I think it'd be best if you went and observed one of the classes. Maybe tomorrow, since it's Saturday, and that should give the administration enough time to process everything if you decide you'd like to enroll."

Komaru smiled. "Yes! I'll do it tomorrow!"

"Good girl. I'll make sure to wake you up early so we have enough time to get ready."

"Okay!"

＊＊＊＊＊

The next day, Nagito took Komaru into the primary section of Kibougamine. It was close to the section for the Reserved Course students, and, much like it, one didn't have to have an ultimate talent to enter. They did, however, have to have a lot of money- money which Nagito could afford to pay, since the board valued all of the school's teachers and automatically assumed the children of said teachers would be attending school at Kibougamine as well.

After assuring Komaru that he'd be back around 16:00 to pick her up, and then reminding her (again) that her lunch money was safely tucked away in the inner pocket of her school bag, Nagito left to drop Makoto off at the daycare section.

This area of campus was meant for a) the children of Kibougamine staff, and b) the younger relatives of Kibougamine students. It was run by Miss Usami- a forty-something year old woman with strawberry blonde hair and perpetually jovial sky-blue eyes- and her assistants, both current and former Ultimate Teachers, Nurses, and Babysitters. Apparently, according to Usami, her older sister Monomi (who looked much like her but with whiter hair and pink eyes) ran the classroom Komaru was in. What a strange coincidence!

In the meantime, Makoto caught sight of two familiar heads through the window on the classroom door, and was squirming to get down.

"Looks like someone's weady to make some new fwiends!" Usami cooed, taking him from Nagito. The pale-skinned man went to slide the door open for her, and paused.

"Before I place him in your undoubtedly capable hands, I feel I really should warn you- Makoto-kun suffers from very violent and terrible nightmares whenever he goes to sleep. This happens even at naptime- I really hope this isn't too much of a problem for you!"

Usami only chuckled.

"Don't you fret Komaeda-kun! Actually, there a few here who also seem to have that problem, but it seems to help if we place them together: so then they can help each other and those big bad bears won't hurt them again!" She cooed this last bit, looking down at Makoto and then again at Nagito.

"Now, go on to class, Hinata-sensei. I'll keep widdle Makoto-kyun safe and sound!"

Assured now, Nagito left to begin teaching his students, hearing the door to the daycare classroom slide open.

＊＊＊＊＊

"Good morning friends!" Usami chirped as she opened the door. Her number one assistant Yukizome Chisa-san was already cleaning up breakfast (which was fine, since Komaeda-kun- no, Hinata-san, she reminded herself, since he wasn't a student anymore- had already fed Makoto-kun right before he left) and Tsumiki Mikan-san was reading a story to the kids. Even though all children between infancy and six years old were welcome, there were rarely more than ten on any given day.

"Miss Tsumiki, could I interrupt for _juuust_ a moment?" Usami asked politely.

"O-oh yes, of course!" The Ultimate Nurse stammered out loudly, noticing the squirming bundle of brown in the older woman's arms.

"Thank you," she said, sitting down on a large beanbag.

"Now, today, friends, we have a new friend who's going to join us!"

Kyouko- the headmaster's daughter- and Byakuya- the son of a _very_ generous benefactor- had always been the most curious, quietest, and cautious of the bunch, so when the two toddlers climbed up next to her to better see their new friend, she let them and went on.

"Friends, this is Makoto! Can you all say hi? Say 'hello' to Makoto!"

There was a chorus of high pitched greetings that kind of sounded like 'haiya-ho", and Usami set Makoto down onto the floor. Then, she stood and carefully stepped between the other children. She stood by and watched to see how little Makoto would take to the other kiddos- and vice versa.

The boy was confused for a moment before he looked around and saw the same lavender pigtails he'd glimpsed earlier.

"'Kou-chan!"

"Makoto-kun."

Makoto clumsily hugged Kyouko and didn't mind at all that it took her a moment to return the gesture. She smiled toothily and then pointed to where Byakuya sat on the other side of the brunet. Makoto's eyes lit up as he pulled Byakuya into a hug as well. The blond heir huffed and then, with a tiny smile, reached a hand up to ruffle Makoto's hair.

From her place at the counter, Usami watched them, puzzled.


	3. Chapter 3

_**心の中で。。。**_

 _ **In My Heart...**_

＊＊＊＊＊

 _There were dark clouds everywhere. My breath was coming in heavy pants, and all I was hardly even aware of myself. My brain and body had reverted back to its most base and primal instincts, to a point where it could only focus on one single goal._

 _Escape._

 _Not far behind me, I could hear them calling, begging, hurrying to do anything and everything they could to keep me from leaving them. The Remnants Of Despair, who'd seen me and my title of Ultimate Hope as the child of Enoshima-san, who'd kidnapped me and "raised me" with "a mother's love", who'd tried to nurture and cultivate my "talent" so as to grant themselves further despair..._

 _There were gunshots, and I could see them in the distance, amidst a faceless swarm of black suits and dark sunglasses,, so close but so far._

 _Kyouko...Byakuya...Asahina...Hakagure...Komaru...Fukawa...hold on! I'm almost there!_

 _My legs gave out, and I knew Komaeda's terrifyingly good luck was coming into effect. The gunshots continued._

 _There was red, and cackling, and Monokuma, and someone was screaming and-_

＊＊＊＊＊

Makoto woke up from his nap with a whimper. He remembered the faces of those in his dreams. He recognized Komaru-nee and Komaeda-san and Hinata-san and Kyouko-chan and Byakuya-kun, and he remembered clearly now how they died.

 _Kyouko-chan...Byakuya-kun..._

He sniffled.

 _I'm sorry...I wasn't strong enough..._

A small hand grabbed at his sleeve, greedy and possessive, forcing him back down. At almost the same time, another hand, bigger than his but smaller than the first, reached up and brushed against his hair before settling back down against his pant leg.

He got a face full of blond hair, and was instantly reassured.

 _Byakuya-kun and Kyouko-chan are safe. They're safe, right here beside me. And they remember everything, too. So now, like this...we can...we can..._

He fell back asleep.

＊＊＊＊＊

"Aawwwww...so cute..."

Makoto woke up and stiffened. He knew that voice- that face. Even those words were similar. But, he reminded himself, this time he actually _was_ a baby. Not just a metaphorical "newborn hope" as this person had once called him, in the Before.

"Ara, ara. You woke them up, Komaeda-kun."

That voice, he was also familiar with- though not as much as Komaeda's.

"Usa-mi!" He greeted her energetically, not lethargic as he normally was after being woken up from a nap. That was most likely because of-

"Kou-chan! Baku-kun!"

They were already awake, looking at Nagito with trepidation- with recognition and vengeance for certain actions he didn't remember. Kyouko had a hand clamped tightly around his wrist while Byakuya had both arms round his middle, displaying to the world that Naegi Makoto was _his_.

Nagito looked to Usami unsurely. He knew how to properly get a baby to let go of its toy- he'd helped his cousin with Komaru when she was a baby- but _another human being_ was a different matter.

The older woman intervened, carefully prying Kyouko's hand from around Makoto's wrist first, then setting to work on freeing him from Byakuya's arms. The two toddlers- Kyouko having turned two in October and Byakuya that August- protested, Kyouko with a whine and Byakuya with a short but loud yell. Makoto whimpered: the sound stung at his ears and reminded him too much of...something he'd rather forget.

"Now, now, it's okay friends!" Usami said quickly, trying to placate them, " Makoto-kyun has to go back home with Komaeda-san now, but he'll come back! Okay?" She passed him off to a thankful Nagito and then picked up Kyouko and Byakuya, situating them so she was holding one of them in each arm. "He'll be back in just a few days!"

But neither child was having any of it. Kyouko began crying while Byakuya let loose a long and drawn out howl. Desperately trying to hold on to them and calm them down, Usami nodded towards the door, silently telling Nagito to leave while he had the chance. Nagito, with Makoto held at his shoulder, rolled his other shoulder to keep the strap of the diaper bag- green with a brown teddy bear pattern- from slipping too far, and began walking out the door.

Makoto sniffled.

"Daijoubu, Makoto-kun," said Nagito reassuringly, "We'll be back to visit your friends on Tuesday."

The boy quieted down as soon as he finished, knowing from his memories that Komaeda Nagito was, without fail, a man of his word.

＊＊＊＊＊

"Ne, Komaru-chan?"

"Nani, Komaeda-san?"

"Has your family ever contacted the Togami family?"

"No, why?"

Nagito hummed and looked at her and Makoto through the mirror.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just something a coworker said to me. Nothing to worry about."

＊＊＊＊＊

That Sunday, after Hajime had informed him of his findings- what little he was allowed to tell- and as Nagito was telling him about the curious and apparent friendship between their son and the Togami and Kirigiri children ("Already gathering up connections for the future!"), the phone rang. Hajime, being closer, was quick to answer it.

"Moshi-Moshi. Hinata residence."

"Is this Hinata Nagito-san?"

"No, this is his spouse. How may we be of service?"

He could hear a baby screaming on the other end.

The speaker cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Ano, I'm speaking on behalf of my young master, Togami Byakuya-sama. He requests-" a shriek, and he could _hear_ the maid cringe, "Byakuya-sama _demands_ that you and your family visit the manor-" another shriek "-specifically young master Naegi-sama!"

Hajime laughed off his incredulity. An actual _heir_ , wanting to see _his family_? He could scarcely believe it. And yet, if the maid was telling the truth, then perhaps it would be good if they went.

"Alright. We'll be there as soon as we are able."

He waited for the maid to hang up- he could hear her relieved sigh and knew he did the right thing- before hanging up himself. Nagito looked at him curiously.

"Who was it, Haji?"

"A maid," answered Hajime, "apparently "Byakuya-Bocchan" was throwing a fit and requesting- sorry "demanding"- we take Makoto-kun to visit him."

"...Oh." Nagito shrugged his shoulders. Why wasn't he surprised?

"Well, may as well. What day are we doing this?" _Like I really_ need _to ask_ , he thought dryly.

"Today, apparently."

"...Oh. Okay then. I'll get Mako-chan all ready to go, if you want to tell Komaru-chan to get ready."

"Got it."

＊＊＊＊＊

The drive to the Togami estate was about half an hour long, but most of that was because of the heavy traffic. Though it'd taken another forty minutes to make sure both Makoto and Komaru had everything, on top of that, so it was a full hour before Hajime found himself pulling up to the front gate of the Togami estate.

The security guard looked at him, then at the kids in the back seat. He recognized those two, at least, from the news.

"Hinata Hajime-san?"

"Hai."

"Go on in. The chauffeur will bring your car round when you're ready."

"Arigatou gozaimashita."

He pulled over at the fountain marking the entryway and helped Nagito get Makoto and Komaru out and settled before handing the car off to the blue-clothed chauffeur. Then, with a groggy Makoto at his shoulder, Nagito standing beside him with Komaru in between them, they entered the very large, very Western mansion.

＊＊＊＊＊

As they entered into the foyer, a maid came out holding Byakuya. Beside her was a girl with burgundy hair held back in a neat and orderly braid.

"Forgive us," said the maid softly," Bocchan has only just awoken from his nap. All that fuss had worn him out."

He began to squirm, so the maid set him down. He began toddling towards Hajime, and Komaru watched in mild amusement till she heard a soft giggle.

"Ah! Fukawa-san! I didn't know you lived here!"

The older girl huffed indignantly and crossed her arms.

"Of course _you_ didn't. Someone like you wouldn't care about such a small detail- especially concerning someone as filthy as me!"

Hajime flinched and saw Nagito do the same.

"Huh? That's not what I meant at all!" Komaru exclaimed, removing her hand from Nagito's.

"Hmph. That's what they all say."

"It's true!"

Hajime tore himself away from the conversation as he felt a sharp tug on his pant leg. He looked down into the face of the Togami heir.

"Ma-ko-to." Byakuya demanded.

With a sigh, Hajime set Makoto down. When a guest, after all, it is only right that one follows the host's wishes.

Byakuya immediately grabbed Makoto's hand, noticing how the younger boy smiled, and curled his lips upward in turn. He allowed himself to look into his reincarnated lover's eyes, and they held a short, silent conversation.

 _Do you remember, Byakuya?_

 _Yes, Makoto, I remember._

 _I'm sorry I let you die, Byakuya._

 _You are forgiven, Makoto. We're safe now._

 _Yes. We're safe._


End file.
